What's going on....

Just thought I would take the time to talk about what we have been doing in our lives lately....

Clint: Clint has a pretty set routine I would say...he goes to work each day and works VERY hard and is good at what he does. He always goes the EXTRA mile to make sure that we are all taken care of! Don't be fooled though, part of his work day involves some sort of daydreaming, usually about the NEXT project that he is going to pursue. As I mentioned in a previous journal, he got him a new boat...so the dreams now are of how he is going to customize it...geez, here we go again! he he he. He wants to put some different graphics on the side of it...which isn't too hard, since we DO have the machine that can do that, thank goodness! He wants to add a swim deck off the back and re-carpet the inside floor, from black to RED and I think that is about it....FOR NOW! He still continues to have his life-long dream of one day racing in the Baja 500 in a TROPHY TRUCK....ummmmm, great dream hunny, they only cost AT LEAST $500,000.00! Last night we were watching "The Biggest Loser" and he said to me, "Maybe I will just gain 100 lbs and go on there and win the $100,000.00 prize, that would get me closer to living my dream" ha ha, nice try Clint! He really is my LIFE SAVER! He works so hard during the day and never complains and is so GREAT to help me out when he comes home. Clint has chores of his own...he mops the wood floors, cleans the blinds and the baseboards, dusts, vacuums and most importantly....PLAYS WITH THE KIDS!

Me: Well...what is there to say? I am the MOM, the Housecleaner, the Cook, the Maid, the Dishwasher, the Multi-tasker, the Shopper (for groceries that is) and the one that gives all the kisses at bedtime and whenever the kids leave to go anywhere. Business has been pretty great...actually quite a BLESSING, really! Whenever we are short on money, I get some really good jobs...it has been our fill-in money, which has REALLY helped! I have a routine of getting up at 5:30 AM every day and going to the gym, I come home, make my Protein Shake for breakfast, get the boys ready for school, make them breakfast, kiss them before they get on the bus and tell them "Have a WONDERFUL day, get a good note & I love you more, most, infinity!", then it is time to wake up Clint (yep, he is NOT a morning person), get Rachel ready for the day, do some laundry, make breakfast for Clint & Rachel, Kiss Clint goodbye & send him to work, clean the house....and well, I am sure you know the rest. Life as a Mom can be EXHAUSTING...but there really are benefits too, like being able to share LOTS of memories with my family!

Brock: Out of all my kids, I would probably say that Brock is my CHALLENGE in life! For some reason we tend to butt heads quite a bit and rarely see eye to eye. However, out of all my kids...Brock is the most TENDER hearted. One would not recognize that right away with him because he sure strives for that rough exterior (I guess he gets that from his dad) but when it comes down to it...he is a great BIG teddy bear inside! (Yep, definitely got THAT from his dad!) Brock has had a rough go in life I would say, for him things just don't come simple! If there is a WEIRD or unusual sickness, situation, problem, etc.....I am SURE Brock has been there, done that, had it, said that....you see my point. Brock is at a really great place in his life right now though, he was baptized last summer & officially became a member of the church, he is the GOLDEN child at school and at church (I am sure many of your jaws just dropped!), he has MANY MANY friends and he really has great coordination and is AWESOME at ANY sport he attempts. He has truly been blessed to be apart of the State Programming in school, he has been able to receive Speech Therapy since he was in Pre-School and enjoy the benefits of having a small classroom environment (9 kids, 3 teachers). I am EXTREMELY grateful to his teachers at his school. I LOVE going to his IEP meetings and hearing them tell me ALL the great things about Brock...I know he is lucky to have them as teachers because I can truly see that they love him like their own child....who could ask for more than that?

Kory: Awwww, my sensitive, analytical, peace-making, sweet little guy! Everyone needs a Kory in their family! He is such a unique and DIFFERENT little guy....I seriously think we giggle AT LEAST 5 times a day at what Kory is doing. He has found this new fondness of Steve ERKLE...ummmm, yeah - he even likes to hike his pants up like him too! (I am SURE he got THAT from his Grandpa Cox, *wink*) Kory is like the third parent Brock & Rachel never had when it comes to MOST situations, like when we are having a serious conversation with the kids...Kory is right there analyzing the ENTIRE situation and trying to CONVINCE everyone that his ideals makes sense and are right...ummmm, okay. Kory is doing SO well in school...which is so AWESOME! At the beginning of the year he struggled quite a bit with his work and so the school decided to offer Kory a reading tutor every day for 30 minute sessions. When he began the program, he was reading at a 0 reading level, which is what a child in Kindergarten would read....BUT, since being with this tutor for half the year he is now at a reading level 16 and has been tested at a 2nd grade level, Kory is only in 1st....YAY, GO KORY! I am so proud of him and his accomplishments and am even more proud when I watch him helping Brock with his homework and reading problems.

Rachel: (I am REALLY going to try to make this positive, since Rachel is kind of on my bad list this week! Serious!) What more can I say...Rachel is 3 and turns 4 next week....dun dun dun, can you say FANTASTIC FOURS?????? Ummmm, NOT! Rachel is at that WONDERFUL time in her life where she OBSESSES over making MESSES! Those messes include...changing her clothes 20+ times a day and throwing the clothes all over the floor, filling up her barbie bathtubs with water and then making a soup with Soap, Hair Clips, Hair Gel, Toothpaste, Lotion and anything else she can find, decorating the family room like it is a campsite...she packs her suitcase that she got from Grammy with clothes & a flashlight, then lays out blankets and pillows in a formation like a tent and then fills the tent with MOST of her toys and sometimes even food (food with LOTS of crumbs! URGH!). One of her recent FUN places to mess up is her brothers rooms...I think mostly for the attention she gets from them when they notice what she has done. Rachel really isn't a *BAD* girl, just curious I guess! She does have her cute side too....she is a DADDY'S girl that knows just what to do to get her daddy wrapped around her finger! She is CHOCOLATE's Number 1 fan...SERIOUSLY, she will eat ANYTHING if it is smothered in chocolate...I swear that girl eats, drinks and sleeps CHOCOLATE! Rachel started pre-school this year and has been loving it! She has made some new friends and it is so cute to watch her interact with the other kids. Rachel is my BUDDY when it comes to BARBIES! I have ALWAYS had a love for Barbies...so you can imagine my joy when my little girl grew the same love for them also. There are times when I stand in the hall outside of her room and just listen to her play with the dolls...it is SO cute how *real life* she can make them seem. Rachel LOVES books too, another thing I am SURE she got from her Mommy! I am grateful to have a little girl and I am sure we will enjoy each other just a little bit more when she kicks this *STAGE* she is in now!